In the Dream House ESL project students design their perfect house and present it to the class.
1+
30-45+ mins
Setup
This project can be completed as a collage, a computer presentation, or a piece of writing. In the case of a collage, you will need a set of old magazines that contain some pictures of home interiors, (plus scissors, glue and large pieces of paper).
Students normally work individually, but pairs can also work for collages and computer presentations.
Project
- Students make a list of all the elements they would like in their dream house, using the target vocabulary.
- They then organise these elements into logical groups (i.e. general description/different rooms or areas of the house).
- They use these groups to help organise their presentation/writing. For example the groups could correspond to different areas of the collage, different slides in the presentation, or different paragraphs of writing. Make sure you model the above process before they start.
- Students then collect images for their collage/presentation, or write their information up in full sentences. You may also want students to write up some full sentences to use when showing their collage or presentation.
- Finally, students present their projects to the class orally, using the target language. Listeners could give feedback and/or vote for their favourite house.
Target Language
The Dream House ESL project is designed for beginner students, and can be used with both kids and adults. It’s a great way to practise rooms of the house and furniture vocabulary, as well as descriptions with there is/are. It can work well as an assessed piece of writing.
A similar project for slightly more advanced students is Home Of The Future, in which students design a house incorporating futuristic elements.
Got a picture or video of this activity in action? How about snapping one next time you use it? We'd love to showcase your submissions- find out more here.
